If you don't have enough time or resources to make videos accessible yourself, you can pay a vendor to do it for you.

Caution

Some videos may be eligible for free captioning through Clemson Online.
In most cases, you will need to work with your department or the grant holder to set up an appropriate payment structure with the vendor.
To request installation of a vendor's Kaltura integration, email IThelp@clemson.edu.
- Requests will be granted on a case-by-case basis due to cybersecurity and privacy requirements.
- Installations may take a long time (possibly even a month long) if the vendor and/or Kaltura are slow to assist.
- If a captioning request is denied, captions will need to be uploaded manually.
- If a description request is denied, the vendor's results may be leveraged to create or upload audio descriptions for Kaltura.
Several vendors require that the video have captions before they are submitted for audio description services.

SELECTING A VENDOR

Choose a vendor that will, at minimum, have humans review and correct machine-generated transcripts. Vendors that use human transcribers and machine alignment/synchronization tend to be of better quality and are thus more preferred.
Don't let price be the only deciding factor. (Though, if you are paying more than $2.50-$3.00 per video minute for a 2 day turnaround, know that you will be spending more money than if you used the recommended vendor)
Accuracy ratings, while not necessarily reliable, should be considered.
When possible/appropriate, look for vendors who can match your video with captioners who are familiar with the subject matter in the video.
Aim for vendors that allow you to submit glossaries of names and terms.
If the vendor's services are being used by a large group, being used over several semesters, or being integrated with a University supported system, the services may need to go through ITVM to ensure that compatibility, cybersecurity, and privacy requirements are met.
Vendor must be able to provide captions in one or more of the following formats:
- SubRip Text (.srt)
- WebVTT (.vtt)
- Distribution Format Exchange Profile (.dfxp or .dfxp.xml or .xml)
Choose a vendor that can caption the languages you need.

Choose a vendor that will be able to create descriptions in, at minimum, the same language as the video's audio.
For academic videos, consider a vendor that can create extended audio descriptions in addition to standard audio descriptions.
Look for vendors that provide a video player (like Verbit's SmartPlayer) so that, if the original video player cannot support audio descriptions, you have another option for providing this accessibility feature.
Remember to include the cost of captioning in cost assessments.
Look for vendors that will allow a caption file to be uploaded and/or a transcript to be synchronized at cheaper prices than the captioning service.
When possible/appropriate, look for vendors who can match your video with describers who are familiar with the subject matter in the video.
Aim for vendors that allow you to submit glossaries of names and terms.
If the vendor's services are being used by a large group, being used over several semesters, or being integrated with a University supported system, the services may need to go through ITVM to ensure that compatibility, cybersecurity, and privacy requirements are met.
Vendor must be able to provide descriptions in one or more of the following formats:
- Video (.mp4)
- Audio (.mp3 -- .wav, .wmv, and .m4a may also work, but are less preferred)
- Text (ad.vtt, ad.srt, ad.txt, .vtt, .srt, or .txt) - this is not a preferred format but may be useful for troubleshooting other solutions